


Song Stuck In My Head

by sydsometimeswrites



Category: Newsies (1992), Newsies - All Media Types, Newsies!: the Musical - Fierstein/Menken
Genre: Coming of Age, Friends to Lovers, In a way, M/M, Sort Of, Summer AU, band au, this is what happens when you listen to nothing but take this to your grave for a week on end
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-07-07
Updated: 2020-11-02
Packaged: 2021-03-05 05:15:43
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 5,645
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25118995
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sydsometimeswrites/pseuds/sydsometimeswrites
Summary: Moving around your whole life sucks and the Chicago suburbs have quickly moved to the top of David Jacobs’ 'Worst Places I've Lived' list, just above Wyoming. It's hot and sticky and he would really rather be anywhere else, until a trip to a record store on a boiling afternoon in June changes the entire trajectory of the summer. Before he knows it, three kids have come stumbling into his life, bringing their loud music and loud personalities with them.And what's the deal with that drummer anyways?
Relationships: Spot Conlon/David Jacobs, there's also a lot of platonic stuff dont worry
Comments: 9
Kudos: 30





	1. all hail the new kids

**Author's Note:**

> this fic is mostly the result of watching the breakfast club on repeat and a few too many fall out boy songs
> 
> enjoy
> 
> (it's not proofread quite yet so bear with me on grammatical errors)

_Summer 2003_

Every summer Davey had ever experienced felt disjointed from time. As if they existed entirely on their own, free from the crushing weight that came in September. Summer months melted together as if they were popsicles, a swirling haze of burning feet in the concrete and laughing so loud and so hard it was the only feeling in the universe. 

Moving from place to place, dot to dot on the map, made everything else disjointed. Four barely remembered years in Washington, five in Massachusetts, another three in the middle of nowhere Wyoming, another three in New York, and two blissful years in Oregon. None of them were remotely the same, they felt like pieces of lives, not a continuous thread. 

Maybe that was why Davey couldn’t bring himself to get attached to the sticky suburbs of Chicago. Starting junior year as an unknown hadn’t been a thought in Davey’s mind four months ago, when he was happily riding in his friend's car through the pine forests of Oregon. Of course, he’d gotten attached to the place, as if he were made of glue. Latching on to the smell of pine and dew-covered fields like he needed them to breathe. 

Whatever budding attachment he’d had was shattered the moment his parents had sat him down and said the two words Davey had begun to hate more than anything else. “We’re Moving.” They meant filing away memories of Oregon like they were the boxes he packed his things into. Which was maybe why Davey was reluctant to unpack the boxes now, sitting in his too-bland bedroom in a picket-fence suburb. Unpacking the boxes made it somehow more real, even though Davey had been present for the first tour of the house and the selling of their home and the drive across endless miles of fly-over country. 

So there he sat, staring at the ceiling fan as it spun in slow lazy circles. May was ending and June was bringing more humidity, leaving Davey staying in his room and avoiding any excuse his parents could find for him to leave the house. His brother had ran off to the playground sometime last week and spent most of his time there, and his sister had unpacked the computer first, every time he came downstairs it felt like she was doing something on it. Which was fine with Davey, except he didn't end up talking to her a lot anymore. 

He sighed and reluctantly pushed himself up off the bed, heading down the hall to Sarah’s room. Knocking on the door earned a “What do you want?” from her, which Davey took as an invitation to come in and flop onto her bed. 

“Davey, what are you doing in here? I’m busy,” Davey turned his head to see her sitting on her bed, reading. 

“You aren’t busy. ‘Sides, you’re the one of us who’s got a license, and the only one of us who actually knows how to get to that record store we saw last week.” 

“I can’t believe this, being used by my own brother-” Davey rolled his eyes and tossed a pillow at her.

“Not my fault I failed my drive test!” 

“That’s just because my baby brother is shit at parallel parking!” 

“I’m literally younger than you by five minutes! I just want to get out of the house for once!” Sarah rolled her eyes and shoved Davey unceremoniously onto the floor. 

“Fine. I’ll get the keys, and you better be paying for my gas!” Davey pushed himself off the floor and ran back to his room to grab his wallet. Tugging on a jacket, even though he knew it wouldn’t be needed in the heat, he went downstairs and leaned against the door, waiting for Sarah. She showed up a few minutes later, tying her hair back, “You know it’s ten times easier to just download songs, right?” 

Davey shrugged, “Yeah, but I just like the feeling of record stores, and besides, it’s easier to do that. Plus less risk of screwing up the computer.” He opened the door to the garage and slid into the passenger seat of Sarah’s beat up car. She shook her head and started the car, pulling out into the shiny, suburban street. Davey was messing around with the radio, trying to find a decent station. Eventually, he gave up and settled on a station playing a strange mix of rock and pop. The streets were filled with near-identical houses that started to blend together by the time they got out of the more residential areas. 

Sarah easily moved among the traffic, which was yet another reason Davey hated the city. People did the strangest things driving and he always got an uneasy feeling any time he got onto one of the major roads. 

Before long, they pulled into the parking lot of Soda Pop Records, which was a small mom and pop record shop that was attached to an old fashioned drug store. The storefront boasted faded lettering and flashing neon sign reading ‘open’. 

Davey entered the store, almost immediately dragging Sarah with him to the new release section. Sarah raised an eyebrow as she began to idly flip through the CDs and records, “You looking for something important?” 

“Not really? Just something I don’t already have,” 

“What don’t you have, you realize that you can just use the internet, ten times easier.”

“Oh leave me alone, I like CD's alright? Plus it’s quicker to listen to,” 

“Alright, whatever you say, I’m going to go check the stuff in the back,”

Davey shrugged and continued to slowly flip through the shelves. The store was much bigger than the one he had always gone to in Oregon, which was a little hole in the wall store downtown. Slowly, he made his way out of the new release section, moving among the aisles waiting for something to catch his eye. Eventually he picked up the latest Green Day album and kept moving through the store.

Towards the back of the store, he caught sight of Sarah, chatting with what looked like someone who worked there. Davey sighed and made his way over, an uneasy smile on his face.

“Im not sure, I think the production could have been better but it’s the first album, so you can’t expect much yet,” 

“Yeah, I guess you just have to wait- oh hi Davey!” Sarah waved him over as he approached. Davey gave her a small smile as he walked over, Green Day CD in his hand. Sarah continued on, “You remember that album I was showing you a few days ago?”

“Uh,” Davey frowned for a second, he was pretty sure she had shown him _something_. “That was the one with the long title...something about bullets?”

Sarah rolled her eyes and laughed. “Close enough,” 

The person Sarah had been speaking to shook her head and turned to Davey. “I’m Katherine, I was just giving your sister a couple recommendations but it turns out she’s listened to it all,” 

Davey blinked for a second, still trying to catch up, “Oh, I’m davey, yeah, she's kind of a nerd about new music, production and stuff,” He shrugged. Sarah rolled her eyes again and poked him,

“Like you aren’t a nerd, hell, you’re probably more of one than I am,” Katherine laughed a little, already on the same page as Sarah.

“So what makes you such a ‘music nerd’ as Sarah put it?”

“I play bass sometimes..” Davey shrugged. 

“Sometimes? Dave, that’s all you do some days, I doubt that’s sometimes,” He shook his head, already feeling a blush creep onto his cheeks. Katherine perked up a bit,

“Wait, you play bass?” Davey nodded, “That’s- I’ve actually been looking for a bass player? I’m in a band and we really need bass, and none of us can find anyone. Anyways what I’m saying is, do you think you could try out some time? It’s not really any big thing it’s just me and two other guys,”

Davey must have zoned out at some point because Sarah nudged him and he snapped out of it, “Oh, uh, yeah, sure? I mean I’m not-“ Sarah nudged him harder. “Alright, Yeah I’ll do it,”

Katherine laughed. “Sarah mentioned you guys moved into that house down the street? There’s a block party this weekend, so we can just head over to Jack’s house later, it’s not too far?” 

“Right, sounds good. I’ll be there,” Davey smiled and Katherine looked relieved, shoulders relaxing slightly.

“That’s great! I should probably get back to work before my boss catches me but you won’t be able to miss me at the party,” Katherine said as she slipped back into the taller shelves towards the back. Davey let out a breath he didn’t know he was holding and leaned against the side of one of the shelves.

“So that was a thing that happened,” He laughed uneasily.

“Are you kidding me! That’s great news Davey, maybe you’ll finally have a reason to leave the house!” Davey stuck just tongue out at her.

“I'm not good enough to be in a band! This is ridiculous, sarah, I can’t do this.” 

“Davey, I’ve heard you play, you’ll be fine, just pick a song you know and play it.”

“Easy for you to say!” Why did he say yes to this! He rarely played in front of Sarah, let alone three people he barely knows and are going to be watching every move he makes. 

Well, so much for a boring summer.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> stay tuned soon for block parties and nerves
> 
> (chapter title from renegades by the x ambassadors)


	2. I'm good to go for something golden

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> davey agonizes over the audition and meets The Gang

Davey cursed under his breath as his finger slipped off the string, causing the note to go flat. He took his hand off the fretboard and shook it violently, like he could get rid of the ache that came from pressing on strings. There was only a couple hours until the block party, and he’d spent most of the day going over every bassline he knew obsessively, the same way he would go over his notes the night before a test. He had never really described himself as a nervous person and yet every time he was facing an important event, he found himself unable to think of anything else. 

He tried many times to tell himself it wasn’t serious. It wasn’t a big deal. It was just some friends in a garage looking for a bassist. But even then, it felt as if someone had asked him to get up and play in front of a stadium full of people. Before he could spiral too far, a knock at the door pulled him out of his thoughts and back to the present. He shrugged his bass off his shoulder, took a deep breath, and opened the door to reveal an annoyed-looking sarah. 

“Davey, I love you very much, but if you do not take a break from playing right now i will actually lose it.” Davey glanced over at the clock, like he hadn’t noticed how long it had been. He sighed and leaned back against the side of his desk. 

“Yeah...sorry. I’m just a bit nervous-” Sarah raised an eyebrow. “Okay, very nervous about the whole audition thing. I mean, what if i mess it up?” He idly messed with the zipper of his hoodie as he spoke. 

“Davey. You’re one of the most talented people I know. It’s no different from those times mom and dad drag you downstairs to play when family visits.” She rolled her eyes. “And you play with your eyes closed half the time anyways, so you really don’t have anything to worry about.” Davey shrugs and leans against the doorframe. 

“Either way, I don’t even know these people! What if I play a song they hate?!” Sarah ran a hand through her hair, pushing it out of her face. 

“You’re seriously overthinking this. Put the bass away and just get ready for the party.” With that, she crossed the hall, shutting the door to her room behind her. 

Davey sighed and turned back to put his bass back into it’s case. It was the same one he’d been playing since he switched from guitar when he was 14, nothing super fancy, but he’d saved up for months for it and so he’d held on to it through two moves now. The latches on the case got stuck occasionally but Davey managed to get them closed and he glanced over at his window, where A pick-up truck had pulled up in front of his neighbor’s house. He sighed and went over to the closet, trading his old black hoodie for a nicer looking shirt. 

Light chatter was beginning to float up through his window by the time he made his way downstairs, where Les was impatiently tugging at Sarah’s shirt, trying to get her out the door quicker. Davey gave Sarah a small wave and leaned back against the counter. 

“Did mom and dad already leave?” 

“Yeah, they headed out earlier to help set up I think?” Sarah pulled her hair up out of her face. Davey nodded and pulled on his shoes.

“Les you look like you’re gonna pass out if we have to wait any longer,” Davey laughed as Les kept tugging at Sarah’s shirt.

“I don’t wanna be late! Race said he had a new pack of Pokemon cards to show me and also I’m really hungry,” He was bouncing back and forth on his feet. Sarah smiled and grabbed her bag.

“Alright, we’re not gonna be late, don’t worry. Come on,” Davey set his bass next to the door and followed Sarah and Les outside into the muggy late afternoon. 

* * *

Davey waved away a stray bug as he and Sarah wandered towards the pavilion where everyone had set up benches. Les had almost immediately ran off and could be heard shouting something from the playground. Someone had set out candles to keep the mosquitoes away and the soft glow was casting long shadows across the grass. Davey brushed some of his hair out of his face and glanced around, trying to pick out Katherine in the decent sized crowd. Has their neighborhood always had this many people in it?

As they got closer, he could spot Katherine’s red hair among the people spread out around the picnic tables. She glanced up and made her way around chatting adults towards where Davey and Sarah were standing. Her uniform from the record store had been replaced with a beat-up denim jacket and ripped tights. 

“You guys made it, Welcome to the world’s most painful party.” She laughed. “Just kidding, promise. Well, maybe not quite, just try and steer clear of any adults or else you’ll get roped into a thirty minute conversation.” Davey returned a small smile, trying to avoid thinking about how nervous he was, and followed Katherine as she turned around. The three of them skirted around the clusters of people and made their way to a table around the back where two people were having what looked like a heated conversation, complete with over-enthusiastic hand gestures. 

Katherine shoved one of the boys in the shoulder and rolled her eyes as he turned around, brushing his hair out his eyes. “Sorry ‘bout that, Spot’s being grumpy about music. Name’s Jack Kelly.” He stood up and reached out a hand for Davey to shake, which he did with little hesitation. The guy next to him sighed and leaned around him. 

"Im David, this is Sarah." 

"Name's Spot." His voice was rough, he spoke with a slight accent that Davey could only describe as New Yorker. 

Davey gave him a small smile, seeing as Spot didn't seem like he was as thrilled about this whole thing as Jack was. 

After a few seconds, Davey and Sarah took a seat across from where Jack and Spot were sitting. Katherine and Sarah had started talking and Davey had suddenly found the wood of the table fascinating. He kept glancing around, still not quite sure how he was supposed to respond to any of this. Was it part of the audition? You couldn't be in a band together unless you worked well together, right? 

Davey sighed, sitting back up and before he could think about wandering off to find his parents or someone else to talk to, Jack asked him, "So, you're the people who moved into the house across from Kath?" 

"Uh, yeah. Just a couple weeks ago, does everyone here know that?" Jack gave a small shrug.

"You tend to get a lot of nosy people in a neighborhood like this. Word travels fast, 'specially during the summer when no one's really got much to do beyond gossip."

"The charm of the suburbs i guess." Jack smiled and a small laugh came from Spot, who had glanced up since Davey and Jack started talking. 

"Yeah, cause nosy moms who can't keep to their own business is charming," Spot rolls his eyes. Davey shrugged.

"You get nosy moms everywhere. That's not a Midwest thing." 

"Well good to know we're not alone in our suffering," Spot smiled.

The talking continued on as the sun set and shadows grew longer. Fireflies were beginning to spread across the open fields of the park by the time Kath sighed and pushed away her styrofoam plate.

"Do we want to head over to your place now?" Katherine nudged Spot, who had been preoccupied with finding new ways to annoy Jack.

"Yeah, we can, just gotta make sure my mom knows we're heading back or else she'll send out a search party." He pulled a beat-up leather jacket on, which Davey thought was odd considering how hot it had been all week, and slipped through the crowd. A few minutes later, he nodded and led them through one of the fields in the park. After a quick stop at Davey's house to grab his bass, he and Sarah trailed after the rest as they cut through side yards and an alley until they arrived at a house that looked nearly identical to every other one on the street.

Spot sighed and opened the garage, flicking on the lights to reveal a garage that had been partially converted into a practice set up. The drum kit in the back was on a raised block of wood and a couple of guitars were leaning against an old beat up looking couch. 

Jack went and immediately half-fell onto the couch, moving over a bit to make room for Sarah. Davey set down his bass and shifted a little, before leaning down and pulling it out of the case. He adjusted the strap on his shoulder so it would stop biting into it every time he moved. Busy with tuning it, which wasn't really necessary since he'd tuned it earlier that day, but old habits die hard it seemed, he could hear someone tuning up a guitar and lowering settings on an amp. 

By the time everything had been set up, the sun was low on the horizon and Jack and Spot were in another heated debate about some video game. Davey leaned up against a pole, not wanting to get in the middle of that. Snapping her fingers, Katherine rolled her eyes and went over and flicked the back of Spot's head. "You two going to actually do something or are you going to keep arguing over gameboys?"

"Not my fault blue is the better color-" Jack said as he grabbed his guitar, only to be cut off by Spot muttering, something about it clearly being red. Davey laughed a little, feeling marginally more relaxed than he had when he first got to the garage. He sighed and glanced over at Sarah, who was leaning one leg over the arm of the couch, smiling at him.

"So, Davey. Are you ready to play?" Kath asked, nudging some cords out of the way with the toe of her boot. He took a deep breath and nodded. "Alright, just go when you're ready and don't be scared if one of us jumps in," She smiled gently and leaned back against one of the shelves at the edge of the room.

Davey exhaled, steadying his fingers against the fretboard, which didn't help much as they had been shaking pretty obviously before. This was something he'd done a thousand times, he'd be alright, he just had to get over it and _play_. Before he could stop himself, decide he couldn't do it and walk out, he closed his eyes and launched into the opening riff of Longview, a song he'd practiced for countless hours and could play from muscle memory alone. 

He got most of the way through the intro, keeping his eyes glued to his fingers so he wouldn't slip up and flat a note. As he neared the chorus, he nearly fell over as the drums kicked in but somehow managed to keep going. He glanced up at the chorus, where the bass eased up a bit and saw Katherine easily moving through the chorus, while Jack simply leaned back on the couch, likely not knowing the song. It felt so different from playing alone in his room, but it was a good difference, the parts blended seamlessly together and he felt much more relaxed knowing he could fall back if anything went too wrong. 

Before he even knew it, the song shifted back to the bass and the outro slowly faded out. As the last note rang out, he finally fully looked up from his bass and made eye contact with Sarah, who looked the most excited he had seen her since their parents said they were moving out of Wyoming. Davey brushed some hair out of his face, which really was getting long, and turned to face Katherine and Spot. Spot had a smile on his face, which seemed to be high praise from him and Katherine was practically bouncing as she slipped out of her guitar. 

“You’re really good,” She said, sitting on the arm of the couch. “I haven’t seen a bassist that good in a while.” Davey felt his cheeks getting a bit red, watching as Jack leaned over and said something to Katherine in a low voice that only sounded like a low buzz to Davey. He began idly strumming as they talked and waved Spot over. Sarah gave him an encouraging smile as he unplugged and coiled the cord around the handle. 

After another minute, the loose circle broke and Jack stood up off the couch, walking over to where Davey was standing. “Practice is Wednesday’s and Friday’s, please don’t be late or Kath will literally show up at your house and drag you over here.” He smiled, even though he sounded totally serious. 

“Cause it happened to you!” Spot laughed from the couch. Jack rolled his eyes and continued.

“That’s not the point. Either way, welcome to the band,” He spit in his hand and held it out.

“That’s disgusting,” Davey raised an eyebrow.

  
  
“Do you want to be in the band or not?” Spot laughed again. Davey sighed and shook Jack’s hand, trying not to grimace. Katherine rolled her eyes and nudged Jack out of the way.

“Seriously. Don’t be late. I don’t want to have to drag two people out of bed.” 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> here it is! this chapter was not wanting to cooperate with me honestly, but it's done and im happy with it
> 
> stay tuned next for lacking brain cells and some cool tunes
> 
> come hang with me on tumblr @amostauspiciousmanner


	3. Long Live the Pioneers

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> the first of many summer storms arrive and the kids are gearing up for a summer they won't forget

Here’s the thing about the midwest: for every boiling hot day, there’s a vicious downpour that follows. Eventually it turns into a cycle, the water sticks in the air until it can’t and it falls down in thick sheets. Davey’s sure he’s never seen this much rain in his life, even after spending three years of it in Oregon. But, the rain in Oregon was the kind you could dodge if you moved quickly enough, only slightly sacrificing the canvas of your sneakers. These rainstorms left everything and everyone soaked, no matter how quickly you ran. 

Which was why Davey was leaning against an amp in Jack’s garage, waiting for the rain to stop so he could go back to his house. All of them were pretty much stuck, since it had been sunny not even thirty minutes and seemed like a good idea to walk. He kicked at the pile of wires next to his bass as he listened to Kath and Jack go back and forth about the bridge for a song. 

The two were great friends but when it came to guitar parts they could be at each other’s throats in a matter of minutes. It ended up sounding fine in the end, and Spot could probably have ended it if he wanted to, so Davey was content to just sit there and watch. Spot was actually beginning to look a bit annoyed with the two of them, twirling one of his sticks in circles around his fingers. 

Eventually they began to raise the volume a little and Davey watched as Spot sighed and nudged Kath a little more than lightly. 

“Cut it out. I’m going crazy listening to you two and Davey looks like a deer in the headlights over there.” Spot said in a calm tone. “Besides, you two are supposed to be best friends or something?”

“It’s not my fault it’d be easier to use a C there.” Jack grumbled as he went over to shut off his amp properly, cutting off the quiet hum of static. Kath laughed quietly.

“Well, before Jack breaks something over a power chord, we could show Davey around?” Davey glanced up and then outside, where the rain was coming down harder than ever.

“Katherine, I hate to break this to you, but it’s pouring outside.” He said, pushing himself off the amp.

“And none of us have umbrellas.” Jack added.

“Spot’s pickup truck is still at my place, we can make a break for it.” Kath said, pulling on her leather jacket. Spot rolled his eyes and sat back down, but Jack looked like he was seriously considering it.

“This is a terrible idea.” Davey said, flicking the latch on his case closed.

“Leave the terrible ideas to Jack.” She laughed, nudging him.

“I’m just gonna pretend I didn't hear you. Come on Dave, lighten up, it’s three streets and we can cut through the yards.” 

Spot sighed, shaking his head. “If I hear you complain about being cold, you owe me a pizza.” Jack just laughed and shook his head.

“We’re going, besides it’ll be worth it, come on!” And with that, Jack ran out of the garage into the rain, laughing as the first droplets hit him.

Kath shook her head, smiling and ran after him. Davey just stood there at the edge of the garage, blinking as the two started trying to splash each other in puddles. After a second, Spot was next to him.

“C’mon, you’re not scared of a little water are ya?”

“I’m not, christ. Just a little different from Oregon.”

“Well if you spend the rest of your life comparing all the places you’ve lived, you’re gonna be stuck in the past.” And with that, Spot grabbed Davey’s hand and pulled him out into the rain, grinning. 

Davey stumbled a bit, struggling to catch up with Spot as the two took off after Jack and Kath, the rain already beginning to slack through his jacket. After a second, his feet and brain managed to catch up to each other and he was tearing across the lawns, keeping close to Spot so he wouldn’t get lost. He felt a smile make its way onto his face and laughter bubble from his chest as they all burst through a couple of bushes onto the next street over.

He and Spot had caught up with Jack, who immediately stomped in a puddle, soaking the leg of Davey’s jeans and prompting a shove from Spot. It sent Jack bumping into Davey, who nearly lost his balance and succeeded in kicking up more water. Kath shouted something at them from up ahead that Davey could barely hear over his laughter.

The next lawn was even muddier than the first, sticking to his shoes and flying up from Spot’s Docs. He could see Kath’s house from the street as they crossed it at full speed, jumping over the rivers that were in the gutters. Kath was already leaning against Spot’s pickup, strands of bright red hair plastered against her face. 

“Unlock it already!” She said as Spot pulled his keys out of his pocket, slipping slightly in the rain. He got the doors unlocked and they all piled in, laughing until tears threatened to spill. “Okay, maybe it wasn’t the best idea.” 

“No shit, you look like a drowned rat!” Jack shot from the back seat.

“Says you!” Spot rolled his eyes and started the ignition. 

“Where to?” He asked, fiddling with the radio dials. 

“I’m too cold to think right now!” Jack sighed dramatically.

“Aaand you owe me a pizza now, thanks.” Spot said, beginning to pull out of the driveway, ignoring Jack’s protests filling the back seat. 

* * *

It wasn’t a far ride to the diner, but the rain was coming down just as hard as it was when they had left. He’d fired off a quick text to Sarah so his mom wouldn’t freak when he didn’t come home and spent most of the ride watching the raindrops race each other down the windows. Spot pulled the truck into the parking lot and Davey followed everyone else inside. 

The diner wasn’t big, but it was warm, with faded advertisements and neon signs covering the walls. It wasn’t crowded, only a few of the booths were occupied, so they slid into the first available one, Davey pulling off his still-wet jacket. Jack was already going on about how Chicago-style pizza was unrivaled anywhere, which Davey was already rolling his eyes at. Everyone knew New York had superior pizza, it was a fact of life. 

“Either way you owe me a pizza, Jack.”

“I do not!”

“It’s not your fault you complain so much, come on, it’s your turn to get it anyways.” Kath said, picking up her Nokia from the table as it flashed at her. Jack rolled his eyes, hiding his smile behind the oversized menu. 

Davey glanced out the window and sure enough, the rain was still coming down in thick, neverending, sheets. At least it was warm inside the diner, the raindrops were already beginning to evaporate from his hair as the group ordered drinks from a tired-looking waitress. 

He was tapping out a rhythm on the table as Kath typed away rapidly. After a few more minutes she grinned, shoving the phone back into her pocket. 

“What’s up with that?” Spot asked as Kath nudged Jack to get his attention. 

“I just got us a gig on Saturday!” She said at a volume that was definitely a bit too loud for how empty the diner was. Spot and Jack both sat up a bit in their seats. 

  
“No way, where?”

“Just a basement show, a friend of a friend was having a party and needed a band. It’s over in Wilmette.”

“Why not just get a band from Wilmette to play the show then?”

“She just moved there like a week ago from our neighborhood, didn’t know anyone else to ask!” Kath laughed a little. “We’ve got less than a week to get Davey over here up to speed on our songs.”

“I am doing fine on them thank you very much,” Davey rolled his eyes. 

“Yeah but Kath gets deadly serious about shows. Like, bite-your-head-off serious.” Spot said. 

“I am not  _ that _ bad, Christ.” 

“No you really are,” Jack laughed. “Trust me, I should know,” Kath crossed her arms in a huff. “Oh come on, serious is a good thing, just not when you try and go after me for jumping off the stage.” 

“I’m really not looking to end up responsible for damage-”

  
“Can we just focus on the show on Saturday??” Davey asked, not looking to deal with another round of Jack and Kath’s debates. Besides, the waitress was making her way over with pizza and he was sort of invested in whether Chicago-style  _ was _ actually any good or not. Spot looked relieved as the pizza was set down on the table and there was a lull in the conversation as they all were distracted by it. 

“But really, every show is important. You never know who could be at them, like what if there’s a record label or something?” Kath said, taking a sip of her drink. 

“Yeah, because a record label exec is gonna be at a tiny basement show on a Saturday night, see a bunch of kids and think ‘ah yes, the next big thing’.” Spot rolled his eyes, smiling a little. Davey laughed a little, still mostly focused on the pizza. Maybe Jack was right about Chicago-style. 

“Okay, maybe it’s a stretch but either way, people know people. That’s how you get more buzz.” Kath said, checking her phone quickly. “And Davey’s still got to get up to speed on our songs.”

“What the whole three ones that don’t cause an argument every time we play them.” Jack said, finally paying attention to the conversation again. 

“It’s not my fault that- you know what, nevermind, there’s other problems.”

“If we’re going to have another argument about the name thing-”

“We are not naming the band after an 80’s movie!” 

“Fuck off Breakfast Club is a good name and you know it!” 

Davey glanced over at Spot, who was shaking his head and laughing as if he’d heard this argument a hundred times. He sighed, “We have to bill the band as something, we can change it later if we want to, copyright issues or not, no one’s gonna care about a little pop punk band.” 

Kath sighed, turning to Davey. 

“So how quickly can you learn a set?” 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> oh boy, so much has changed since i checked in with these kids, i moved across the country in the middle of a pandemic (bad idea, not fun) and started my junior year of high school (also a bad idea) all in a four-ish month span
> 
> but don't worry, these kids are living rent-free in my brain with stories that are begging to be told
> 
> stay tuned next for broken guitar strings and bad name decisions
> 
> come hang with me on tumblr @amostauspiciousmanner (i might be posting some more stuff from this little universe that lives in my brain there!)


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